I was over at my neighbor Dan’s house a few weeks back and we were talking
about food, (Dan likes to cook as well.) and artichokes came up. I commented that I have only had them stuffed, but I love them and wanted to try something new with them. I had been making soup earlier that week, so I was brainstorming that I should give an artichoke soup a try. And an idea was born.

The next week, I saw that some nice sized artichokes were on sale at the market
(About $0.69 a lb.) so I bought 6 of them and gave it a try.

It’s a bit of work and kind of time consuming, because you have to steam the
artichokes first to get the leaves and choke off. But in the end, I really don’t
mind spending the time, if the end result is good. This came out pretty good. I’ll
probably experiment with it and tweak it out more the next few times I make it.

Sauté the onions, carrots and celery about 5 minutes.
Add a few grinds of salt and a few of pepper.
Add artichoke hearts, (quartered) garlic and thyme.
Keep sautéing for another 2 minutes.
Add stock and bring heat up to medium.
Add cheese and stir.
When soup starts to boil, reduce to low and simmer for at least an hour.
Taste broth and season with salt and pepper.

When ready to serve use emersion blender to blend everything smooth. (No need for cream!)
Ladle into bowls and top with fresh ground pepper and chopped chives.

I also had some homemade croutons I made out of French baguette. (Cut into cubes, tossed with olive oil, sea salt and pepper and into a 350 degree oven till brown)